Self-serving store



w; B. McCARTY.

' SELF SERVING STORE. APPLICATION FiLED PR. 1, 1922.

Beissued May 30, 192 2. 1 15,368

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

20. I I I Z6 I VENTOR WITNESS A'ITORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

' WILLIAM B. MGCABTY, OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI L SELF-SERVING STORE.

Original No. 1,348,024, dated July 27, 1920, Serial No. 302,451, filed June 7, 1919. Application or reissue filed April 7, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. MoCARrY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Hinds and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Serving Stores; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to selfserving stores, and more specifically to an improved store, for vending merchandise, in which the customer helps himself or herself independently of aid by a clerk or salesman.

The demand for satisfactory goods at sat isfactory prices has given rise to the introduction of stores in which the customer selects the desired goods from the shelves or bins of the store, taking. plenty of time to make the selection and consider the cost, without delaying or interfering with the Work of the clerks or other attendants of the store,thereby enabling the goods to be sold at prices which are very considerably less than where the goods are shown and handled by clerks or salesmen. However, in stores of this character which are not arranged according to the present invention, the foregoing advantages are accompanied by certain disadvantages which are overcome by the present invention, and some of which will be mentioned for the purpose ofcomparison, as follows While a large number of customers are selecting merchandise from' different parts of a store, a number of such customers are almost'inevitably hidden from view of the comparativelv few clerks or'attendants, and this fact being realized by some of. the

-weaker customers acts as a temptation for them to conceal some of the smaller (thoughv perhaps expensive) articles in their pockets or'clothing. Moreover, such a store is a standing invitation for the operations of professional shoplifters. Therefore, the con-,

sequent. losses are sufficient to curtail the 'profits to a very considerable extent. To

ofi'setfsuch losses, some of the self-serving stores provide a high gallery or vantage point in which one or more detectives or watchmen operate, but obviously the salary of such employee or employees is a very Serial No. 550,466.

considerable item of expense, and moreover, the presence of such detectives or watchmen is repulsive to the majority of customers of integrity, and tends to exclude this more desirable class of customers from the store.

Another undesirable feature of some selfserving. stores is the inability of the customer to obtain the goods wanted without traversing the entire area of the'store, even though such customer may desire only a single article which is near the front entrance.

Anfobject of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved self-serving store which retains most of thedesirable features while dispensing with or obviating the undesirable features which were pointed out in the preceding paragraphs, that is, to practically eliminate shoplifting, reduce the payroll to the minimum, invite the more desir able class of customers, and provide for the quick and convenient exit of any customers who do not wish to traverse the'entire area of the store, while permitting the customers to traverse the store, who desire to do so.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved self-serving store in which the cost of shelving is reduced to the minimum, consistent with ample storage space provided by the shelving.

A further object is to provide a store of this character in which a single'desk suflices for the operations of accountant, cashier, and bundle Wrapper, said desk being arranged between two exits, so that one person may perform the ofiices of accountant, cashier and bundle wrapper when customers are few, but said desk being sufiiciently capacious to permit a number of such employees or attendants to operate thereon.

' A further object is'to provide a self-serving store in which the attendants desk and shelving or merchandise holders are so arranged with relation to one another that the attendant or attendants can see the customers in every partof the store, so. that the attendant at the desk serves also as'a watch- Specification of Reissued Letters Patent- Reissued May 30, 1922,

a such goods, can be the gate most convenient to such merchandise as this customerwishe s to obtain, thereby avoiding the necessity of crossing the store for the purpose of obtaining such goods. g 1

A further object is to provide an improved merchandise cabinet or holder having its top sufficiently low to permit persons on opposite sides thereof to" see one another, and to permit such persons to conveniently inspect the merchandise in bins on the top thereof, this improved cabinet being provlded with sample containers having transparent covers, so that samples of the goods to be vended together with a card bearing the'price of attractively displayed without danger of being disarranged by thou htless customers. 1

" holders.

, shelvings, 6

l wardly approximately Ot er objects and advantages may become apparent to persons who read the following details of description in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a somewhatdiagrammatic per- 1 spective illustrating the general arrangement of merchandise holders, desk, partitions and gates, according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view illustrating the store horizontal section, the section being taken abovethe shelving or merchandise a vertical sectional view, the taken along the line of,

V Figure 3 is section being Figure 2. p

Figure 4 is a transverse Wertical sectional view, the section being taken along the line ii- 1 of Figure 2.

Referring to-these drawings in detail, in which similar reference characters corre spond with similar parts throughout the several views, and in which the side walls 5, rear wall or partition 6 and store-front 7 may be of any ordinary or preferred construction.

The invention consists in the internal arrangement of devices in which theside and rear shelvings 8 may be sufiiciently high to necessitate the full upward reach of an ordinary grown person, and the specific construction of this shelving will, of course, depend upon the class of merchandise to be held thereby. In'the present instance, however, this shelving is constructed for holding the class of goods generally, known as groceries, anda refrigerator is indicated at 9, the details of constructionof this refrigera tor not constituting a part of this invention,

but the same is interposed in one of the side and butter, cheese, milk and many othercommodities may be kept therein.

A central merchandise holder or duplex shelvinglO extends from the partition 6 forto the center of the room, this duplex shelving comprising apartition or wall 11 which is parallel with and als, etc., for instance,

. 15sec substantially halfway between the side walls v5. A magazine" rack 12- is disposed on the eral storage room from which the merchandisc on the shelvings or merchandise holders may be replenished. As the doors are, normally closed, the customers cannot enter the general storage room. shaped display counter or cabinet 13 has ts bight ,portion disposed between the magazine rack 12.and the outer front entrance 14, and the parallel sides of this U-shaped display counter are disposed between the duplex shelving 10 and the side shelvings. This U-shaped cabinet is spaced a sufiicient distance from the central and side shelvings to form a passage around and within the 'U- shaped cabinet, and the distance from the front of the U-shaped cabinet to the maga- A substantially U- zine rack 12 isso great that the magazines cannot be reached by a person who is outside of the U-shaped part of the passage at the end of theshelving 10. By referring to Figures 1 and 3, it will be seen that the U-shaped cabinet-13 is suificiently low to permit persons onopposite sides thereof to see one another ;and to permit such persons to inspect merchandise in the display, bins-15. These display bins are supported on and extend laterally across a partition wall 16 which is supported by and extends up from a basal shelf 17. Onopposite sideof the partition 16 is a plurality of lateral partitions 18 which support shelves 19. The bins 15 are relatively deep, and deeper at their rear ends than at their front ends, so that when filled with merchandise such as beans, peas, cerethe surface presented by such merchandise is inclined toward the customer who is inspecting the same, thereby facilitating a thorough inspection while presenting' a pleaslng aspect to the customer. A series of sample containers 20 extends I along the series of bins, 15, and a partition 21 is common to the bins 15 and sample containers 20. A cover 22 of glass or other transparent material is fitted on the sample containers and price-cards may be placed on or under the cover 20, so that the customer may not only inspect the quality, but also 1 the price of the goods about to be purchased. Approximately midway between the U- shaped counter or cabinet 13 and front entrances 23,- and a laterally extending partition or railing 24 adjoins this desk "and combines therewith to form a booth 25 in which one or more attendants stand, such as cashier, accountant and bundle wrapper. Adding machines are indicated at 26, and a cash register is indicated at 27, the spaces between 14: is disposed a semi-circular desk the adding machines and partition 24 being these railings being spaced a sufiicient distance to establish and open communication with thepassage around the cabinet 13 and an exit passage between the railings 28 and desk 23. Between the ends of the partition 24 and the front ends of the railings 28 are disposed a pair of exit gates 29, these gates being preferably in the form of a one-way turnstile, any appropriate means(not shown) being provided to prevent the turnstiles from turning backward, and their construction being such that persons cannot enter the exit passages while going from the front toward the rear of the room. Similar, but oppositely rotating gates or turnstiles 30 are provided between the side walls 5 and the front ends of the railings 28, and persons may enter and pass therethrough in going from the front to the rear of the store, but cannot pass therethrough in going toward the front of the store.

In front of the partition 24 a basket holder or shelving 3-1 is provided, so that when the customer wishes to get a basket in which to carry merchandise from, the store such customer may take such basket from the shelf 31, pass through one of the side gates 30, select and take the desired goods from the merchandise holders 8, 10 or 13, and pass toward the front of the store, between the rear ends of the railings 28, and in thus passing outward, the customer is confronted by one or more attendants at the desk 23, whereupon the goods which have been selected by the customer are checked, the respective prices added on the calculating machine 26, the customer receiv ing a duplicate of the amount produced from the calculating machine, and when the customer has paid'for the goods, the amount of the payment is registered on the cash register 27. If any of the goods are to be wrapped, such wrapping is done without the goods being passed to another desk. It will be seen, therefore, that each customer is served with the utmost despatch and with the least inconvenience, and may now pass by a comparatively short course through one of the gates 29 and the front door 14.

Although I have described this embodiment of my invention'very specifically, it is not intended to limit this invention to these exact details of construction and arrangement, but changes may be made withln' the scope of the inventive ideas, as implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention 1s:- 1. In a store for the vending of merchandise, a storage inclosure provided with shelving extending along its side walls and rear wall, said inclosure having an attendants desk in the middle of its front portion, a merchandise holder extending from the middle of the rear portion of the inclosure toward the said attendants desk, a substantially U-shaped merchandise holder having its bight portion disposed between and spaced from said desk and from the first said merchandise holder a distance to permit persons to pass one another through the spaces thus provided, the other parts of said U-shaped merchandise holder being spaced from the said wall shelving and from the first said merchandise holder a distance to permit persons to pass thcrebetwe'en, all

parts of said U-shaped merchandise holder being sufiiciently low to permit an attendant at said desk to see persons on-all sides of said U-shaped merchandise holder, rearwardly bowed partitions extending forward and laterally from points midway between said merchandise holder and attendants desk to points midway between said side walls and said attendants desk to form walled entrance passages and exit passages which are in open communication with said passageway through a doorway between said partitions, exclusively entrance gates in said entrance passages, and exclusively exit gates in said exit passages the latter being between said rearwardly bowed partitions and the said attendants desk.

2. In a store for the vending of merchandise, a storage inclosure provided with merchandise holders extending along its side walls, said inclosure having an attendants desk in the middle of its front portion, a merchandise holder extending from the middle of the rear portion of the inclosure toward the said attendants desk, a substan tially U-shaped merchandise holder having its bight portion disposed between and spaced from said desk and from the said merchandise holders a distance to permit sively exit gates in said exit passages, the

latter being between said partitions and the said attendants desk.

3. In a store for the vending of merchandise, a storage inclosure provided with merchandise holders extending along its side walls, said inclosure having an attendants desk in the middle of its front portion, a

, of the rear portion of the inclosure toward the said attendants desk, a substandise, 'chandise walls, said inclosure having an attendants desk: in themiddle of its front portion, a merchandise holder extending from the midchandise holder, partitions spaced from said de points merchandise holder extending from the middle of the rear portion of the inclosure to ward the said attendants desk, a substantially U-shaped merchandise holder having its bight portion disposed between and k and from the said merchandise holders a distance to permit persons topass therebetweemall parts of said U- haped merchandise holder being sufficiently low to permit an attendant at said desk to see persons on all sides of said U- shaped merchandise holder, partitions ex tending from points between said U-shaped merchandise holder and attendants desk to between said side walls and said at tendants desk to form walled entrance pas sages and exit passages, exclusively entrance gates in said entrance passages and exclu si'vely exit gates in said exit passages.

4. In a store for the vending of merchana storage inclosure provided with merholders extending along its side tially U-shaped merchandise holder having its bight portlon disposed between and spaced from said desk and from the said merchandise holders a distance to permit persons to pass one another through the spaces thus provided, the other parts of said U-shaped merchandise holder being spaced from the first named merchandise holders and from the second named merchandise holder a distance to permit persons to pass therebetween, all parts of said U shaped merchandise holder being sufficiently low to permit an attendant at said desk to see persons on all sides of said U-shaped merextending from points between said merchandise holder and attendants desk toward the side walls and toward the forward portion of the store to points between said side walls and said attendants desk to formwalled entrance passages and exit passages; exclusively entrance gates in said entrance passages, and exclusively exlt gates 1n said exit passages, the

latter being between said partitions and the said attendants desk.

5. In a store for the vending of merchandise, a storage inclosurewith side walls, said enclosure having an attendants desk in the middle of its front portion, a merchandise holder extending from the middle of the rear 5 portion of the inclosure toward the said at tendants desk, a substantially U-shaped merficiently low to permit an attendant at said desk to see persons on all sides of said U shaped merchandise holder, partitions extending from points between said U-shaped merchandise holder and attendants desk to points between the side walls of theinclosure and said attendants desk to form walled entrance passages and exit passages, exclu- 1 sively entrance gates in said entrance passages, and exclusively exit gates in saidexit passages. y

6. In a store for the vending of merchandise, a storage inclosure with side walls, said inclosure having an attendants desk in its front portion, ing from the rear portion of the inclosure toward the said attendants desk and to merchandise holders extendpoints adjacent to. said desk, said holders spaced apart a distance to'permit personsto pass each other therebetween, and the passages between their forward ends, partition means between the merchandise holders and the attendants desk to form walled entrance passages and exit passages, the space between thepartition means and the ing sufficiently wide to permit persons to pass each other, exclusively entrance gates in said entrance passages and exclusively exit gates insaid exit passages, whereby a person passing either entrance gate may pass directly to either of the forward endsof the passages between the merchandise holders.

7. In a store for the vending of merchandise, a storage inclosure, said inclosure having an attendants desk in its frontportion, merchandise holding means occupying the rear portion of the inclosure and assoc ated with passages open at points adjacent to the said desk, partitionmeans between the merchandise holding means and the attendants desk to form a walled entrance passage and a walled exit passage, an exclusively enthe holders being open at,

merchandise holders be trance gate in said entrance passage,and an exclusively exit said partltion means arranged person passing the directly to and from either of the forward ends of the passages associated with themer-t chandise holding means. I

In testimony whereof I my hand.

whereby a WILLIAM B. McCARTY.

gate in saidexit passage,-.

have hereunto set" entrance gate may pass 

